Milling machine



Aug. 15, A. F. BENNETT MILLING MACHINE Filed April 26, 1952 4Sheets-Sheet 1 W55 I'LL-611w A. F. BENNETT MILLING MACHINE Aug. 15,1933.

Filed April 26, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 15, 1933.

A. F. BENNETT MILLING MACHINE Filed April 26, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 NuNCNN

Aug. 15, 1933. A, BENNETT 1,922,073

MILLING MACHINE Filed April 26 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ill/"2% WiinasfiJuan/i01 Patented Aug. 15, 1933 MILLIN G MACHINE Arthur F. Bennett, WestBarrington, R. 1., as-

signor to Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing Company, a Corporation of Rhodeisland Application April 26, 1932. Serial No. 607,565

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in milling machines, andhas for its principal object to provide a novel and improved mechanismfor both power and manual manipulation of the saddle and knee, whichwill enable the operator to operate these elements singly or togetherwith any desired combination of hand and power feeds from either thefront or rear of the machine quickly and with entire safety to himselfand others.

The power drive for the present machine comprises a single main clutchand separate feed trains including three separate reversers for con--trolling the power operation respectively of the table, saddle and knee.For controlling the operation of the machine, separate power feedcontrol levers are provided for operating each of the reversers forsaddle and knee from separate operating stations located on the frontand side of the knee to permit the operator to reach the controls fromeither the front or rear of the machine, and additional hand controlsare provided at each of these operating stations on the machine formanually operating the saddle and knee feeds. Each of the power feedcontrol levers may be moved in either direction from an intermediateneutral position to drive the corresponding feed in either direction,and since the feed trains and reversers for the saddle and knee areentirely independent of each other, the several supports may becontrolled by the operator to move in either direction simultaneously orindividually as desired.

In carrying out the present invention, mechanism is provided which actsautomatically upon movement of one of the power feed control levers forthe saddle or knee in either direction from its neutral position torender inoperative the hand feed controls both front and rear for thecorresponding feed, so that no danger of injury can arise through themovement of the hand controls with the power feed, particularly duringthe operation of the quick traverse when the gear trains are beingoperated at a relatively rapid rate.

Since it is sometimes desirable for certain classes of work to maintainthe knee rigidly in a single adjusted position, the machine hereindisclosed is provided with a clamping device which is arranged to clampthe knee rigidly to the machine column. In order to prevent theoperation of the power knee feed while the clamp is in looking positionwith consequent damage to or breakage of the parts, the presentconstruction contemplates provision of an interlocking device which isarranged to permit the operation of the clamp only with the knee powerfeed in its neutral position, and which acts during the application or"the clamp to lock the reverser for the knee feed in neutral position.

The several features of the invention consist also in the devices,combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby willbe readily understood by one skilled in the art from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichFig. 1 is a View in right side elevation of a milling machine embodyingthe present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in sectionillustrating particularly the feed mechanism for operating the saddleand knee and the power and hand feed control levers therefor; Fig. 3 isa plan view partly in section illustrating particularly the power andmanual feed connections for operating the vertical or knee feed and theknee clamp; Fig. i is a detail sectional view of one of the rear handfeed controls for the saddle and knee; and Fig. 5 is a detail viewpartly in section on an enlarged scale showing particularly theinterlocking mechanism for controlling the operation of the knee clampand the knee power feed.

The milling machine disclosed in the drawings as embodying in apreferred form the several features of the invention, comprises a base8, a machine column 10, a longitudinally movable work table 12, alaterally movable saddle 14 on which the table is carried, and avertically movable knee support 16 for the saddle and table. The machineis also provided with a cutter spindle 18 which is mounted m the machinecolumn and is'driven from a source of power through a multiple changespeed gear train such as ordinarily employed in this type of machine.Power is transmitted to impart movements to the table,

saddle and knee at either a quick traverse rate or No. 181,050, filedApril 5, 1927, and therefore need not be further described orillustrated.

The table, saddle and knee are driven by power through separatetransmission tra' 5, each of which is provided with a ate r forindependently controlling the movement in each direction of each of thethree supports. A shaft 32 is common to all of these trans issiontrains, and is driven f' 1 the feed dr e shaft 24 through an over-..n.ning clutch ind i. 36, a pinion 31 integral with the riven part ofthe clutch and a gear fast on the shaft 32 and meshing with the pinion31. The shaft also be driven from the quick traverse ve 28 through aclutch member 35 splincd on the shaft 32 and movable into and out ofengagement with a driving clutch men. on the shaft 28. The shaft 32 ismounted to rotate in bearings on the knee, and passes through a box 34forming an integral part of the saddle 14 which carries a bevel gear 36splined to-turn with the shaft 32 and movable lengthwise thereof withthe gear box 34 and saddle i4. evel gear 36 is connected. to drive thetable through intermediate gearing as indicated in dotted lines in Fig.1, the consn'uction and arrai the same as disclosed in the patent to GiaNo. 1,'-l8),99l, dated January 1-5,

The drive for the saddle is take. shaft 32 through intermediate as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 2, which are to impart continuous rotarymovements in opposite directions to the reverse gears so ane ii] her The

loosely sleeved on the saddle cross feed shaft 4 journaled in hearingsin the knee. A sing clutch member as is mounted on the "t 4% between thereverse gears 40 i'ied to the shaft i l and movable lengt thereof intoengagement with corresponding clutch surfaces on the adjacent faces ofthe 4e 42. The shaft 44 is screw-threaded indicated at 48 to receive anut rigidly secured to a it-racket 50 on the saddle 14.

The power drive for the vertical. or knee feed comprises a shaft 52mounted paralwl to the shaft 44 in the knee, and having loosely sleevedthereto the gears 54 and 56 constantly d ven in reverse directionsrespectively from the i0 and A reversing clutch 1126111 3 58 is splinedto the shaft 52, and inovao direction into engagement with clutchsurfaces formed on the e to drive the shaft 52 in opposite directi ns.'bevel gear 69 on the forward end of the 6 64 supported against endwisemovement on knee 16, and screw-threaded to a vertical post 66 which isrigidly secured at its lower end to the baseS.

The controls for operating the power e the saddle and knee are arrangedto permit operator to operate these feeds separately or gcther fromeither the front or back of the chine, and additional controls arerovided to enable the operator to operate eithe feed by hand from thefront or rear of the machine. In order to permit the operator quicklyand safely to operate feeds in co ation desired, as for instance whereone of .ne feeds is to be operated by hand while the oth 1 feed is to beoperated by power, or to cha" "e quickly from a hand to a power feed,particu- 1v during the operation of the quick traversmechanism, thepresent invention contemplates the provision of means which actsautomatically upon the movement of one of the power-controls in eitherdirection into operative position to disfro 1 the connect both of thecorresponding hand feed controls for this feed.

or controlling the operation of the reversing cl tch 46 for the saddlefeed, a lengthwise movcontrol bar so is provided which is journaled inhearings in the knee, and carries adjacent one end a rack 82 whichmeshes with a pinion 84 formed on one end of a shaft 86 which is mountedto turn in a bearing 88 on the knee, and at its forward end providedwith an offset clutch 30 and a cam roll 90 arranged to engage withperipheral groove 92 in the reversing clutch member so. The controlshaft may be moved igthwise in either direction from the neutral tionshown in Fig. 2 to engage the clutch 46 i the ie or 42 and feed thesaddle forat its other end is pro Med with a 5 n 98 arranged to engagewith a corresponding racl: on the control shaft 30. The con- 1 1 91 r 80be actuated from the side or rear of the machine by means of an upwardlyextending nanual control lever 102 secured to a rock shaft 19 which atits inner end is simi provided with a pinion 106 arranged to ene witl'ia corresponding rack 108 on the conlb 1' 88.

For operating the saddle manually from the front of the machine, a handwheel 110 is prowhich is secured to a sleeve 112 looscl in ed to turn onthe forward end of the feed -w shaf t and is held against endwisemoveont with relation thereto between a collar 114 screw-threaded to theshaft l4 and an abutment collar 3 forming a portion of the racketsecured the knee 16. hand wheel no is connected to turn with the feedscrew shaft 454 by means of a clutch memoer 118 which is sleeved on theend of the shaft id, and is arranged to engage with a correspondingclutch surface formed on the hub of ti e hand wheel 110. The clutchmember 118 is keyed to turn with the shaft 44 and is moved lengthwisewith relation the 'eto to disengage the clutch means of a shaft 120which is journaled in an axial core in the shaft l4, and is connected atits forward end the clutch member 118 by a cross pin 122, and at itsrear end to a collar 124 by means of a cross pin 125 which or ,endsthrough slot i the shaft 44. The saddle may be opinanually from the rearof the machine by means of a shaft which is provided at i inner end witha bevel gear 132 arranged to engage a corresponding gear 13% on thecross feed shaft 44, and at its forward end carries a sleeved member 136which is loosely sleeved to turn on shaft, and is provided with asquared end to receive an actuating crank of ordinary deiption. As shownin Fig. l of the drawing sleeve hub is provided with clutch teetharranged to with corresponding teeth d on a collar 141 secured to theshaft .g normally held in engagement thereby of a compression spring 142coiled about the reduced end of the shaft 130 between the sleeve hub 136and a nut 1.44 on the shaft.

In carrying out the present invention, mech- I is herein provided whichacts automatimovement of either of the power feed control levers 94 or1.02 in either direction from neutral position. to positively disengagethe 118 138 for the front and rear hand feed controls, so that the handfeed control levers will remain idle during the operation of the powerfeed for the saddle. The clutch 118 is thrown out upon actuation ofeither of the power feed levers 94 or 102 by means of a lever 148pivoted at 150 on the knee support, and provided at one end with a forkarranged to engage with the collar 124. The other end of the lever 148is provided with a bearing surface arranged to engage with a pin 152slidably journaled in a bracket on the knee support, and having itsother end arranged to engage in a V-shaped notch 154 in the control bar80. The endwise movement of the control bar from the neutral positionshown in Fig. 2, will cause the pin 152 to ride out of its slot, movingthe lever 148 about its pivot to advance the shaft 126 and disengage theclutch 118 from the sleeve hub of a hand wheel 110. The sleeve hub 136,utilized for operating the saddle manually from the rear of the machine,is at the same time moved against the pressure of its spring 142 todisengage the clutch surfaces 140 and 138 by the endwise movement of thecontrol shaft 80 through connections com prising a lever 156 which ispivoted at 158 on the knee support, and is provided at one end with afork arranged to. engage a collar 160 sleeved on the shaft 130, and atits other end with a pin 162 arranged to engage in a V-shaped slot 164in the control bar 80. The endwise movement of the collar 160 isrendered operative to move the sleeve hub 136 against the pressure ofits spring 142 and disengage this member by means of a clutch shiftingcollar 166 sleeved on the member inside the clutch teeth and 138, andarran ed to engage an abutting shoulder on the member 136. The collar166 is connected to move with the collar through con nections comprisinga shaft 168 which is arranged to slide in an axial bore in the shaft130, and is connected respectively to the sleeve 166 and the collar 160by means of cross pins which extend through slots cut for this purposein the bar 130. With this construction, an endwise movement of thecontrol shaft 80 from the neutral position shown in Fig. 2, will act torock the lever 156 about its pivot to advance the collar 160 and thesleeve 166 to move the member 136 outwardly against the pressure of itsspring 142 to disengage the clutch members 138 and 140.

The operation of the reversing clutch 58 for the vertical or knee feedis controlled by means of a lengthwise movable control bar 1'74journaled in the knee support, which has rigidly connected thereto ayoke 1'76 arranged to engage in a groove 178 in the reversing member 58,being further supported by a lengthwise movable bar 180 to secure arigid construction. The control bar 1'74 may be moved lengthwise tocontrol the operation of the reversing clutch from the front of themachine by means of a manually operable lever 182 secured to a rockshaft 184, which at its other end is provided with a pinion 186 arrangedto engage a rack 188 in the control bar174. The movement of the controlbar may be similarly controlled from the rear of the machine by means ofa manually operable lever 190 secured to a rock shaft 192, which at itsinner end is connected through the pinions 194 and 196 with a rock shaft198 which is provided at its inner end with a pinion 200 arranged toengage with a rack 202 formed on the control bar 174.

The operation of the vertical power feed is automatically controlled toprevent overthrow of the device with consequent breakage of parts, bymeans of the usual dogs which are adjustably mounted on the machinecolumn in the path of two control shafts mounted on the knee support inthe usual manner. One of these shafts is shown at 204 in Fig. 3,connected through the engage ment of a rack on the shaft with a pinion206 on the rock shaft 198, so that the endwise movement of the shaft 204by engagement with a proper dog, will act through the rock shaft 198 tomove the control shaft 174 to neutral or reverse position as desired. Asthis mechanism is common and well known in the art, no furtherdescription thereof is believed necessary.

The vertical or knee feed may be operated by hand from the front of themachine, by means of a manual control crank arm 210 which is pro videdwith a sleeve hub 212 loosely mounted to turn on a shaft 214 which isprovided at its inner end with a bevel gear 216 arranged to engage withthe gear 62 on the vertical feed nut 64. The crank arm 210 and sleevehub 212 are connected to turn with the shaft 214 by means of a sleeveclutch member 218 provided with teeth arranged to engage withcorresponding teeth on the sleeve hub 212. The vertical feed may beoperated manually from the rear of the machine through a sleeve member220 squared toreceive a crank handle of ordinary description, andloosely mounted on a shaft 222, which at its inner end carries a bevelgear 224 arranged to mesh with the gear 62 on the vertical feed nut 64.The sleeve member 220 is connected to turn with the shaft 222 throughclutch mechanism which is identical with that shown in Fig. 4 for therear saddle hand feed.

'The connecting clutches for the crank 210 at I the front of themachine, and the sleeve member 220 at the rear of the machine for thevertical or knee hand feed, are automatically disconnected upon movementof either of the vertical power hand levers 182 or 190 in eitherdirection from neutral position, so that these parts will be maintainedin an idle position during the operation of the power vertical feed. Themovement of the reversing clutch 58 into operating position in eitherdirection, is rendered operative to move the clutch 218 out ofengagement with the sleeve hub 212 of crank arm 216 through connectionswhich comprise a bell-crank lever 224 pivoted at 226 on the kneesupport, and provided at one end with a fork arranged to engage a collar228 on the shaft 214, and at its other end with a bearing surfacearranged to engage a pin 286 journaled in a bracket on the knee support16. The pin 230 is arranged to engage in a V-shaped notch 232 in thecontrol shaft 174, so that endwise movement of the shaft 1'74 from theneutral position shown in Fig. 3, will act to rock the bell-crank lever224 and impart a corresponding endwise movement to the collar 228. Theclutch member 218 is connected to move with the collar 228 out ofengagement with'the sleeve hub 212 through conthe clutchmember 218 inengagement with the i sleeve hub 212 of hand crank 218, The sleevemember 220 for the rear hand vertical feed is rendered idle by thedisconnecting of its actuating clutch upon the movement of either of thevertical power operating levers 182 or 190 through connections whichcomprise a lever 240 pivoted on the knee support, and provided at oneend with a fork arranged to engage a collar 242 on the shaft 222. At itsother end the lever 240 is provided with a bearing surface to engagewith a pin 244, which is arranged to engage in a V-shaped notch in theendwise movable shaft 204. Inasmuch as the collar 242 and the actuatingconnections from the collar for disconnecting the sleeve member 226 fromclutching engagement with the shaft 222 are identical with thosedescribed and illustrated in connection with the sleev member 136 for ierear hand saddle feed, it will be seen that the movement of either ofthepower vertical feed levers 182 or 196 from the neutral position shown inFig. 3 acting through the pin 2% and lever 245) to advance the sleeve242, will automatically disengage the sleeve mem her 220 for the re-rhand vertical feed.

The machine herein disclosed is provided with a clamping device forclamping the knee rigidly to the machine column. This mechanism, as bestshown in Fig. 3, comprises a wedge-shaped clamping member 250 insertedbetween the track 252 on the machine column and an adjacent portion ofthe knee member 16., The clamping memher 250 is forced in a direction toclamp, the parts rigidly together by means of a screw bolt 254 keyedagainst rotary movement in the clamping member 250, and held in positionby the locking nuts 256. At its inner end the bolt 254 is screwthreadedinto the end of a rotatable shaft 258, which at its other end isprovided with a manually operable lever arm 260. With this constructionof the parts, a rocking of the shaft 258 will act to screw the bolt 254into the rock shaft 258, and by thus shortening the efiective length ofthe shaft and the bolt, cause the clamping member 250 'to be moved intoa tight T'clamping engagement with the track 252 on the machine column.

In order to prevent the power vertical feed from being operated whilethe clamp 250 is in clamping position with consequent risk of damage tothe machine, the present invention contemplates the provision of aninterlocking device which acts automatically to prevent the operation ofthe clamping device during the operation of the vertical power feed, andalso acts to lock the vertical power feed control mechanism againstmovement out of neutral position during the operation of the clamp. Thismechanism, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 5, comprises a lever arm 262pivotally mounted on a stud 264 on the knee support. One end of the arm262 is provided with a projecting nub 266 which is arranged for theneutral or oif angular position of the control shaft 258 for the clamp,to engage in a corresponding recess 268 in the shaft 258, the other endof the arm 262 being arranged for the neutral position of the verticalfeed control shaft 174 to engagein a recess 270 in the bar. A tensionspring 272 connected at one end to the lever arm 262 and at its otherend to a pin 274 on the knee support, tends to maintain the nub 266 ofthe arm 262 at all times in engagement with the periphery of the rockshaft 258. With this construction of parts, it will be seen that anymovement of the rock shaft 258 and lever arm 260, will cause the nub 266to ride out of its notch or recess 268, moving the lever 262 about itspivot to bring the abutting end of the lever into engagement with theslot 270 of the control bar 1'74, thus locking the vertical power feedcontrols in neutral position. Conversely, the movement of the controlbar 174 in either direction to render the vertical power feed operative,will cause the slot 270 to be moved out of the path of the lever 262,thus locking the lever against movement about its pivot 264, so that thenub 266 is held positively in engagement with the recess 268 to lock theclamping device in inoperative position.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and amachine embodying the several features of the invention having beenspecifically described, what is claimed is:

1. In a milling machine, the combination with a machine column ofsupports comprising a table, saddle and knee, separate power feed trainsfor the saddle and knee, an independent reverser in each of said trains,control levers for each of said reversers located at different operatingstations on the machine, each of said levers having an intermediateneutral position and operating positions at each side thereof for movingthe corresponding support in opposite directions, control members foractuating each of said supports manually from either the front or rearof the machine, and m chanism rendered operative upon movement of anyone of said power controls from neutral position in either direction todisengage each of the hand control members for the corresponding feed.

2. In a milling machine, the combination with a machine column andsupports comprising a table, saddle and knee supported thereon, ofseparate power feed trains for the saddle and knee each including anindependent reverser, actuating connections for said reverser comprisingendwise movable shafts and a plurality ofmanually operable controllevers for each of said reversers located at dififerent operatingstations on the machine and connected to impart endwise move ments tosaid shafts, each of said levers having an intermediate neutral positionand two operating positions corresponding to the two engaging posi tionsof the reverser, a plurality of manually operable hand feed members formanually feeding each of said last-mentioned supports located at each ofsaid operating stations on the machine, and mechanism rendered operativeby movement of one of saidpower members from neutral position topositively disconnect each of the manual feed members for said feedcomprising a clutch for each of said manual feed members, a clutchactuating lever, a V -shaped cam surface in a lengthwise movable shaftconnected for move ment with the corresponding power feed reverser, anda cam follower arranged for the neutral position of the reverser toengage the -portion of the cam surface to permit the engagement of theclutch. 1

3. In a milling machine, the combination with a machine column and atable, saddle and knee mounted thereon, or power feed trains for thesaddle and knee including an independent reverser in said power feedtrain for the knee, a lengthwise movable control bar for actuating saidreverser, a manually operable control lever for actuating said bar, aclamping device for clamping the knee rigidly to the machine columncomprising a clamp, a shaft rotatable to tighten the clamp, and aninterlocking device comprising lever adapted atone end to engage in aslot in the endwise movable bar and at its other end to engage in aperipheral notch in said rotatable clamp control shaft, each of saidnotches being arranged to receive said lever only for the neutral orinoperative position of the corresponding control shaft to permit amovement of the other of said shafts.

4. In a milling machine, the combination with a machine column and atable, saddle and knee mounted thereon, of power feed trains for thesaddle and knee including an independent reverser in said power feedtrain for the knee, a

lengthwise movable control bar for actuating said reverser, a manuallyoperable control lever for actuating said bar, a clamping device forclamping the knee rigidly to the machine column comprising a clamp, ashaftrotatable to tighten the clamp, and an interlocking device forcontrolling the operation of said bars arranged upon movement of eitherof said bars from neutral position to lock the other bar in neutralposition.

5. In a milling machine, the combination with a machine column and atable, saddle and knee mounted thereon, of power feed trains for thesaddle and knee including an independent reverser in said power feedtrain for the knee, a lengthwise movable control bar for actuating saidreverser, a manually operable control lever for actuating said bar, aclamping device for clamping the knee rigidly to the machine columncomprising a clamp, a shaft rotatable to tighten the clamp, and aninterlocking device for controlling the operation of said bars arrangedto permit movement of either of said bars only while the other of saidbars occupies a neutral or inoperative position.

6. In a milling machine, the combination with a machine column ofsupports comprising a table, saddle and knee, separate power feed trainsfor the saddle and knee, an independent reverser in each of said trains,control levers for each of said reversers located at different operatingstations on the machine, each of said levers having an intermediateneutral position and operating positions at each side thereof for movingthe cor responding support in opposite directions, control members foractuating each of said supports manually from in one of said operatingstations on the machine, and mechanism rendered operative upon movementof any one of said power controls from neutral position to disengageeach of the hand control members for the corresponding feed, and uponthe return of said power control to neutral position to automaticallyre-engage each of said hand control members.

7. In a milling machine having a work support and a tool support, thecombination of means for causing relative movements thereof in aplurality of paths, said means including a plurality of sliding memberstraversablein mutually perpendicular paths, and a separate reverse fordetermining the direction of movement of each of said members in itspath, a plurality of manually operable control levers for each of saidreversers located at different operating stations on the machine, eachof said levers having neutral and power operating positions, a pluralityof manually operable hand feed members for manually moving each of saidsliding members located at said operating stations on the machine, andinterconnecting means whereby movement of any one of said control leversfrom neutral position will disable each of the manually operable handfeed members for the corresponding sliding member.

8. In a milling machine having a work support and a tool support, thecombination of means for causing relative movements thereof in aplurality of paths, said means including a plurality of sliding memberstraversable in mutually perpendicular paths, a reverser having neutraland operating positions for controlling the movement of one of saidmembers in its path independently of the other of said members, aplurality of manually operable control levers for said reverser locatedat different parts of the machine, each of s id levers having neutraland power operating positions, a plurality of manually operable handfeed members for manually moving said sliding member located atdifferent parts of the machine, mechanism rendered operative by themovement of any one of said control levers from neutral position topositively disconnect each of the manually operable hand ieed membersfor said slid ing member, clamping means to secure said sliding memberto its support, a lever to operate said clamping means, and aninterlocking device arranged upon movement of either the reverser or theclamping lever from neutral position to lock the other of said elementsin neutral position.

ARTHUR F. BENNETT.

